Motorsports

News focusing on motorsports developments. Bringing news from key automotive and motorsports events to expand the industry's overall global appeal and interest within specific target markets in abroad.

[9.22.11]
Forty Years of Barrett Jackson is Celebrated in Las Vegas

Barrett Jackson breathes tradition and prestige and the cars that make their way into their events are no different. Known for bringing some of the most rare and exotic cars to their stages, car enthusiasts gather at the Mandalay Bay this week for Barrett Jackson’s year ending event to observe, admire, and to buy vehicles that span generations.

After the Orange County auction where a 1963 Volkswagen 23 Window Bus sold for an astounding $217,800, even more buses have arrived in Las Vegas and will sit on the auction block for thirsty buyers. Among them are a 1961, a 1962, and three 1966 buses.

On a quick recap of unique cars that sold today, a beautiful yellow 1923 Ford Model A that was acquired for $49,500; a 1956 Porsche 356 Speedster Re-creation for $26,400; a 1932 Ford 5-window coupe for $30,250; and a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS for $44,000.

[8.31.11]
CorkSport Mazda Performance Announces New CorkSport Mud Flaps for the Mazdaspeed 6

Adding to the success of our Mazdaspeed 3 and Mazda 3 Mud Flaps, CorkSport would like to announce an expansion of the CorkSport Mazdaspeed Styling product line with the launch of the all new CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 urethane mud flaps. 

Designed specifically for the Mazdaspeed 6, the CorkSport Mud Flaps offer superior protection against the elements, road debris and high impact rocks that are kicked-up by your tires while providing a streamlined sport look. 

The popular CorkSport Mud Flap line is constructed from 80A durometer 1/8" thick urethane and includes a CorkSport logo laser-etched directly into the mud-flap that will never fade or wear off in even the most extreme elements. The adjustable design allows customers to install the rears to match the height of the vehicle and includes a template giving you the option to trim them to your liking. 

Unlike rally style mud flaps, these mud flaps are a sleek 10" at the widest point on the backs and 8 1/2" on the fronts providing your vehicle the optimum level of protection while maintaining a sport style design.

Demonstrating CorkSport's mission to offer unparalleled service to the Mazda enthusiasts and support every make and model of the Mazda line, this is yet another product offering CorkSport has designed with the Mazdaspeed 6 in mind. The CorkSport Mud Flaps represent just one of the many products that are set to release in the coming months to support the Mazdaspeed 6. 

The CorkSport Mazdaspeed 6 Mud Flaps will be offered competitively at $119.00 and include full color installation instructions, all of the needed installation hardware, and a template for customized trimming of the rear's to accommodate the ride height of each individual vehicle.

[8.25.11]
QA1 Acquires Edelbrock's Suspension Product Line

Edelbrock sells its suspension product line to QA1. This acquisition by QA1 will add over a 100 part numbers to their already extensive shock absorber, spring and tubular suspension product offering.

Edelbrock added suspension products in 1994 with a limited line of components for Camaro and Mustang applications. Since then, the product line has grown to include; anti-hop bars, k-member braces, panhard rods, strut tower braces, sub-frame connectors, sway bars, toe links, torque and trailing arms, along with a variety of other products for popular muscle car and late-model applications.

"These suspension products will be a great addition to QA1's current line and will give their customers a larger selection high quality components to choose from", states Edelbrock Chairman, Vic Edelbrock. "We are also proud that these products will continue to be manufactured in the USA."

This acquisition will include all manufacturing equipment, raw materials, current and future product designs as well as any existing inventory. All of these components will transition to QA1 on September 1, 2011.

[8.21.11]
Southern Women's Automotive Forum Second Regional Conference to Focus on Breaking Barriers

The Southern Automotive Women's Forum will convene its second Southeast regional conference to discuss strategies to advancement and offer success stories to help women move forward in the highly competitive automotive industry. This year's conference will be held Friday, August 26, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. CDT at the Sheraton Nashville Hotel in downtown Nashville.

Opening speaker for the conference is Linda Reichart Macht, president and CEO of Tottser Tool & Manufacturing in Pennsylvania, and President of Tottser-Iroquois Industries located in La Vergne, Tennessee. Tottser-Iroquois is a joint venture with locations in PA, TN and MI. They will soon open a new Southern facility to meet the needs of our existing customers and to broaden its reach to the automotive sector in the Southeast region.

A special feature of the conference are the panel discussions: "The New "Brand" of Workers and What We Can Learn From Them," "Success Achieved Through Branding - Women in Automotive, Personal and Professional Strategies," and "The Brand New Type of Leader."
These panels are designed to arm women with strategies to surmount barriers to advancement.

Susan Brennan SAWF president, and vice president of Manufacturing at Nissan, noted,
"We are very enthusiastic about this conference, our guest participants and the opportunity to address the issues to help women overcome barriers in the automotive industry. This conference is designed to build on the great success SAWF enjoyed last year."

Panelists for this program include: Cherie McCain, BMW; Tonja Cochran, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc.; Theresa Plonkey, Area Manager, General Motors; and Angie Rehkop, Georgia Automotive Manufacturers Association Board Member. 

[8.19.11]
Creative FX-wrapped Skoda Breaks 200mph Barrier

A Skoda Octavia vRS, wrapped by signage specialist, Creative FX, and driven by automotive journalist, Richard Meaden, at Bonneville Speed Week, has broken the record for fastest ever Skoda, after recording a speed of 202.15mph.

The 500BHP Skoda Octavia vRS became one of the few cars to break the 200mph barrier, and the first Skoda ever, on Monday 15th August at Bonneville Speed Week in Utah, America.

The record-breaking car was sporting a special '10' silver and green livery as it entered the history books. Produced and installed by vehicle wrapping specialist, Creative FX, the livery marks the tenth anniversary of the vRS range and 110 years of Skoda's participation in motorsport.

Robert Hazlewood, Director for Skoda UK, says: "Months of rigorous planning, testing and preparation have all been worthwhile. The entire team has done a fantastic job. Our thanks go out to Richard on an incredible drive."

The Octavia vRS used is a factory-built model, which has been specially modified for this race. As well as lowering the ride height and increasing break horsepower from 200 to 500BHP; the car had to include a reinforced roll cage, parachute, fire extinguishers and window cage, to meet Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) regulations.

Bonneville Speed Week, which is held near Salt Lake City every August, consists of six days of racing on salt flats. Its spectacular scenery and racing conditions make it one of the most popular speed events in the world.

During the three remaining days of speed week, the team will now focus on beating the 2.0 litre production car record of 216mph.

[7.21.11]
ATC Campus Helps Students Capitalize on Automotive Industry Job Growth

The Automotive Training Centre (ATC), a leading automotive training college, is helping students capitalize on the post-recession rebirth of the Canadian automotive industry with a state-of-the-art campus in Surrey BC.

The Canadian automotive industry is the sixth largest on the planet, accounting for 25% of the country’s exports. Nevertheless, the economic downturn, accelerated automation and global warming have posed tough challenges, and in 2009, new car sales and industry jobs decreased. The industry, however, has since bounced back, and Canada’s share of North American light-vehicle production is now at an all-time high.

The rejuvenated strength of the industry’s biggest players, coupled with technological advances and the looming retirement of baby boomers, point to very bright job prospects in many segments of the auto industry. “New vehicle sales are also up a few percentage points over last year, so the economics and employment opportunities are there,” says ATC director Zyg Strecha.

To help students prepare for these tremendous career opportunities, ATC opened its newest campus last year in Surrey, BC. Situated on two acres of land, the centrally located campus boasts over 15,000 square feet of cutting edge training facilities. The campus’ repair shop features six large modern classrooms and provides students with seven bays, four hoists, a modern scanner for vehicle diagnostics and emissions testing, welding equipment, alignment hoists and more. On the auto body side, the campus offers five bays, a modern paint booth and mixing room and much more.

[7.20.11]
New Open Source Initiative for Automotive Software Development Tools

The Eclipse Foundation announces the creation of a new open source initiative to define and implement a standard platform for the software development tools used in the automotive industry. German carmaker BMW Group, the automotive suppliers Robert Bosch GmbH and Continental AG, and the Eclipse Strategic Member itemis AG from Lünen, Germany are founding members of the initiative that will operate as an Eclipse Industry Working Group. The new Eclipse Automotive Industry Working Group will be open to any organizations that want to participate in the goal of establishing a standard tools platform that will be used throughout the automotive supply chain.

Innovation in the automotive industry is mostly achieved by electronics and software functions. The system automobile is becoming increasingly complex, an open developer tool workbench that extends throughout the supply-chain is becoming a must for the industry. Improvements and innovations to these software development tools are required to accelerate product development, create high quality software features and improve integration across the automotive supply chain.

“BMW uses standards such as AUTOSAR, Flexray or Genivi in the development of automotive software. It is a necessary condition for BMW, that the tool chain supports these standards. We believe that tools based on Eclipse are an efficient way to reduce gaps in the tool chain. It can be very helpful if Eclipse-based tools can not only be used as a stand-alone tool but also as integrated components in a larger environment. The interoperability between the different Eclipse plug-ins from tool vendors can accelerate the development process.” 

"Eclipse is a de-facto standard in the field of developing software development tools (for example ARTOP) and as integrated development environment for programming automotive software. Therefore, a unified Eclipse platform is to be agreed on by all participants in the EAIWG. For this reason, the future participation of tool manufacturers in the EAIWG is absolutely necessary. A single platform can reduce internal costs and accelerate cross-company development processes. BMW will use the Eclipse platform developed by the Working Group as a strategic development environment," says Ignacio Garro, Head of IT PLM Systems and Software at Continental Automotive.

He continues, “Creating a standard platform for automotive tools will help us to faster innovate without compromising quality,” explains Harald Mackamul, Senior Expert, Corporate Sector Research and Advance Engineering, Robert Bosch GmbH. “Collaborating with an open source community will allow us to share the costs and best practices for building new tools with other companies in the automotive industry. We see this open innovation as the future for our software tools strategy.”

“While we bundle forces to create the platform that we need, we provide a platform to our tools vendors that they can use to seamlessly integrate their products in our workbench. In addition, the Eclipse Public License enables us to modify and extend the platform to our needs!”

The Automotive Industry Working Group will operate under the Eclipse Foundation, an open source Foundation that specializes in software development tools and runtime. Eclipse Industry Working Groups allow organizations to collaborate on the development of new technology innovation. The results of the working group will be made available under the Eclipse Public License (EPL), a commercial friendly open source license.

[5.18.11]
S-Network Launches New Global Automotive Index (AUTOS)

S-Network Global Indexes LLC announces the launch of a new index that tracks the performance of the global automotive industry: The S-Network Global Automotive IndexSM (Ticker: AUTOS). Live intraday calculation of the index begins today May 18, 2011. Daily closing values are available from December 31, 2005.

Richard Phillips, Senior Index Analyst of S-Network, said, “AUTOS is designed to serve as a fair and transparent measure of the performance of the global automotive industry. This index comes to the market as international vehicle sales continue to rebound and several automotive manufacturers have recently posted strong profits.”

The modified capitalization weighted, float-adjusted index incorporates 50 constituents engaged in the automotive industry. To be included in the index a company must generate over 50% of gross revenues from the primary automobile industry. The index is rules-based.

[4.25.11]
DuPont Opens Automotive Center in China

DuPont today announced the opening of the DuPont Automotive Center to provide “one-stop” design and application development services for the rapidly growing China automotive market.

Located at the DuPont China Research & Development Center in Shanghai, the facility further enhances the network of global automotive application development centers designed to strengthen the industry’s ability to collaborate on ways to reduce dependence of fossil fuel. Developing markets – including China – represented 32 percent of DuPont’s total sales in 2010. Sales in developing markets grew 30 percent in first quarter 2011.

“Technology and materials will be critical to the continuous development of the automotive industry in China,” said Tony Su, president of DuPont Greater China at the opening ceremony of the center. “This new automotive center provides a platform for our customers to access the integrated capabilities of our company and allows us to collaborate more closely with our customers to address challenges as well as growth opportunities in the automotive market.”

The DuPont Automotive Center contains three functional laboratories, encouraging collaboration with experienced application-development teams from DuPont’s businesses and drawing from more than 100 innovations and products to develop new ideas for safer, more fuel-efficient and more comfortable vehicles.

“This is a pivotal time in the automotive industry. With more than 3 billion vehicles forecast to be on the road by 2035 – many of which will be made and sold in China – congestion, emission, passenger and pedestrian safety are paramount,” said Diane H. Gulyas, president – DuPont Performance Polymers. “We, as an industry, must move faster to implement new technologies for the benefit of our environment, for ourselves and for future generations. We can only meet this challenge by working together on science-powered innovation to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy and vehicle safety while meeting consumer demands.”

[4.11.11]
Mopars at the Strip 2011

From drag racing to car shows to an unforgettable concert by the Hit Men All-stars at The Cannery Hotel and Casino, Mopars at the Strip was eventful from every aspect. Event organizer, JP Motorsports of Las Vegas, presented a weekend of festivities.

Bill Sefton and Mike Staveski of Mr. Norm's Garage partnered with DianeSox and Buddy Martin for a charitable raffle giveaway of a Sox & Martin Cuda. The car is the first new Sox & Martin Collectors Series Super Street Cuda. This Collectors Series Sox & Martin Super Street Cuda is Serial Number 1. It mirrors the appearance of the legendary Sox & Martin 1970 Pro Stock Hemi Cuda from the world famous red, white and blue paint scheme to the vintage Sox & Martin lettering, classic wheels and aggressive hood scoop. Winner Robert Duclos of Waterloo, Illinois came away with
the grandest prize. Proceeds from the raffle went to benefit the Ronnie Sox Foundation.

The Car Show displayed vehicles from three categories: Stock, Modified, and Restified/Clone Classes. Photographed are just a handful of cars that graced the the grounds of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Passion. Dedication. Love. Car owners were proud to display their cars and spectators were given a special treat in being able to get up close to these masterpieces.

Featuring the richest payout at a brand-specific drag race in the West, Mopars at the Strip presents the opportunity for great racing by enticing entrants while giving
a stellar weekend of drag racing. An event tailored to racers, Mopars at the Strip prove why the event continually attracts some of the best cars on the West coast.

The Pony Car Wars were a great feature to the races. Opened to all 2006 and newer Camaros, Mustangs, and Challengers, the cars had to be street legal.

Speaking with Mopar fans, one attendee said, "I come from California every year to see what's going on at this event. These cars are gorgeous and I look forward to what next year will be bringing." This type of excitement was echoed throughout the weekend.

Set at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, one of the premier venues in the world, Mopars at the Strip was graced with blue skies and a mountainous setting that serves as the speedway's backdrop. With a guest appearance from the Jelly Belly wheelie-mobile, fans were on their feet cheering.

An extremely well put together event, Mopars at the Strip continues to please all attendees and fans alike.

Photos by Kwan International.

[1.12.11]
MSNBC Article

Kwan International Showcases Collaborative Efforts with YZ125 in Las Vegas

In a time where motocross racing is depicted by four strokes, Kwan International, a global media and marketing company based at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, debuted a one-of-a-kind 2005 two-stroke Yamaha YZ125 at a Las Vegas race just before the turning of the new year.  With an originally designed graphics package by 702 Graphics, the blue and black Yamaha displayed a collaborative vision with Kwan International as the bike donned images of the company’s network of media reach, platforms like the Associated Press, MSNBC, Yahoo News, Google News, Wall Street Journal, and Reuters. 

Unique to its design, equally as impressive was the two-stroke Yamaha’s ability to not only compete against, but dominate 250 and 450 four-strokes within the race as Supercross series rider Tony Gallo of Ohio maneuvered around competition in moto #1 and grabbed the holeshot in moto #2.  “This is the fastest 125 I’ve ever been on,” said Gallo.

A true 125 cc bike, the Yamaha was ported by Two Stroke Porting’s owner and porter, Lowell Horning.  A porting specialist who has produced champion snowmobiles and world speed records for two-stroke watercrafts, Horning is often in an ironic position as the one secret that motorsports racers are reluctant to release. “If I am producing a winning combination for the racer, then they aren’t going to want to tell others who did the work.  They’d rather keep me to themselves,” said Horning. 

Kwan International’s owners, Vinny Perozzi and former U.S. National and World Champion boxer, Christina Kwan, chose Horning for the Yamaha’s port work because his ability to understand the cause and effects of two-stroke engines derived from decades of experience. Even as Horning had never specifically worked on a YZ125 before, the knowledge he had amassed crafted the roadmap that would eventually lead him to a conclusive decision.  Perozzi said, “A testament to Lowell’s ability, he took all of the necessary measurements and through his deep understanding of power creation was able to arrive at a solution that would increase the bike’s performance.”

Undoubtedly, Horning’s work proved well when the YZ125 demonstrated a sense of dominance over competing 250 and 450 four-strokes on the track. While rider ability attributes to a bike’s performance, the YZ125 screamed right from the start as it pulled the holeshot over all other competitors.  “It was definitely exciting to see Lowell’s first YZ125 project perform so well out of the gate.  This project was unique in that the bike was also a piece within Kwan International’s collection of motorsports vehicles,” said Perozzi.

“Working with Lowell was effortless.  With his expertise, it would be easy to talk over someone’s level, but that’s not him.  He speaks to you and fully explains how he plans on approaching the project,” continued Perozzi.

While winning teams often closely guard their secrets, Kwan International feels that the only way to show their gratitude for Horning’s work is to share the story with the world.  With all of the attention the YZ125 gained from its debut appearance, one question remains.  Will it race again? Perozzi concludes, “Our YZ125 is not a bike that races a full season.  It is a bike that becomes a vehicle for the right person at the right venue. With the current petition for the American Motorcycle Association to reinstate two-stroke eligibility in the appropriate classes, there is still a passion for two-strokes and I hope for the rules to change back one day.  With or without the reinstatement, the situation remains the same. For riders who have been overlooked, overshadowed, and quite simply, unrecognized for their ability, this is a bike that will propel them to reach beyond industry media.  They’ll reach mainstream media and more importantly, recognition by the sponsors in which they seek.”